On June 21, climate activists will protest fossil fuel sponsorships at five FIFA World Cup stadiums and four other arenas that are home to pro baseball, basketball and soccer teams sponsored by fossil fuel interests.
FIFA World Cup's main sponsor, Saudi Aramco, is the world's largest oil and gas company and this World Cup is expected to be the most polluting in history. Teams at other protest sites include the Los Angeles Dodgers, sponsored by oil giant Phillips 66, and the Portland Timbers, a soccer club sponsored by Bank of America, also a FIFA World Cup sponsor and one of the world’s largest corporate funders of the fossil fuel industry.
Full stadium protest list below. Some World Cup protests will take place adjacent to stadiums because of parking and ticketing restrictions.
The growing global movement against sportswashing surged to new heights in May when 2026 World Cup player Morten Thorsby of Norway joined footballers around the world in signing a petition urging FIFA to adopt stronger heat protections and drop fossil fuel sponsors. Now, Brent Suter of the L.A. Angels has become the first active Major League Baseball player in the game's history to speak out.
"As an athlete, I care a lot about promoting companies that share my values, and I also care a lot about our planet," Suter, a longtime environmentalist, told the campaign. "Have I used and directly benefited from fossil fuels in my life? Absolutely. Do I believe that continuing to fully depend on fossil fuels as a society is dangerous? Absolutely. We need to find ways to power our society in cleaner ways, and I want to represent companies that want to be part of the solution."
Oil companies have long partnered with popular institutions like World Cup, the world's most watched sporting event, and World Series-winners to insidiously influence fan perception. This sportswashing seeks to improve the companies' reputations and trivialize the deadly damage their products do, even as scientists note that the Earth is warming at the fastest rate on record and carbon emissions hit new highs.
Aramco consistently ranks among the globe's top greenhouse gas emitters. With climate-supercharged temperatures predicted to exceed historic averages across the U.S., world-leading scientists have warned FIFA its heat-safety measures for the coming tournament are inadequate and could put players at risk of serious harm.
"This isn't theoretical," David Wheeler, a professional English footballer who retired in 2025, told the campaign. "Fans and players see that dangerous extreme heat is likely to impact the World Cup this summer. That's why we've been telling FIFA to get serious about protecting the game and its players from climate change. We all know that burning fossil fuels makes heat worse, so ending oil advertising in sport is a common-sense step that would make us all safer."
The North America protest builds upon Dodger Fans Against Fossil Fuels, which has amassed nearly 30,000 signatures on a petition urging Dodger owner Mark Walter to end the team's Phillips 66 sponsorship. This campaign recently expanded from protests at Dodger Stadium to simultaneous actions in 10 stadiums across the U.S. This was a first in American sports history and part of the growing movement against sportswashing.
Last winter, as tepid weather required production of artificial snow, two groups of Olympians and others (here and here) urged the International Olympic Committee to jettison fossil fuel sponsorships. Pro female athletes from 27 countries, including World Cup players, called for an end to FIFA's Aramco sponsorship in 2024.
This sportswashing protest is sponsored by Sierra Club Angeles Chapter and Third Act SoCal, in collaboration with Fossil Free Football.
Below is a list of cities and stadiums, including FIFA World Cup and others, where protests will take place on Sunday, June 21. Regardless of whether any game is being played, every protest site hosts games or teams sponsored by fossil fuels. All stadiums hosting FIFA World Cup games will be renamed for their city, but usual names listed below. For local protest times and local media interviews, contact Zan Dubin: zan@zdscommunications.com/310-383-0956. Protestor registration form here.
Protests at stadiums with FIFA World Cup games on June 21:
Los Angeles, FIFA World Cup, SoFi Stadium (Aramco is FIFA World Cup sponsor)
Miami, FIFA World Cup, Hard Rock Stadium (Aramco)
Protests at stadiums with FIFA World Cup games not on June 21:
East Rutherford, New Jersey, FIFA World Cup, MetLife Stadium (Aramco)
Toronto, FIFA World Cup, BMO Field (Aramco)
Seattle, FIFA World Cup, Lumen Field (Aramco)
Protests at stadiums with non-FIFA teams sponsored by fossil fuels:
Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium (Phillips 66)
Portland, OR, Portland Timbers, Providence Park (Bank of America)
Sacramento, Sacramento Kings, Golden 1 Center (BP, Shell)
Cleveland, Cleveland Guardians, Progressive Field (Marathon Petroleum)